Anti-snoring and anti-chocking apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Provided is also an apparatus and method for preventing, reducing, or curing snoring, snoring-related apnea, and/or chocking during snoring, the apparatus comprising a cap body, a cap strap, a chin support belt, an cap edge of the cap body, a first belt buckle, a cavity, a chin support plate, a second belt buckle, and flat straps. The cap opening and the cap strap are disposed on the cap edge of the cap body. The first belt buckle is disposed on the cap strap. The chin support plate with a cavity in the center is disposed on the chin support belt. Both ends of the chin support belt are flat straps with a belt buckle. An elastic belt or a locking belt is disposed between the two sides of the cap opening on the cap edge of the cap body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2006/001864 with an international filing date of Jul. 27,2006, which is based on Chinese Patent Application No. 200510028613.7filed Aug. 9, 2005. The contents of these specifications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of sleeping aids and methods forimprove sleep quality, and more particularly to an anti-snoring andanti-chocking apparatus and method for prevention and elimination ofsnoring and snoring-related chocking.

2. Description of the Related Art

Snoring is a common phenomenon. Severe snoring may cause choking,transient apnea, or even sudden death. Research indicates that there aremany reasons for snoring, including but not limited to airwayobstruction and diseases of the central nervous system. Airwayobstruction may be caused by a poor muscle tone of the nose, thepharynx, and the tongue which results in turbulent airflow.

Snoring adversely influences the quality and the length of sleep notonly of the snoring person but also of other persons exposed to it; itincreases the overall sleep time and decreases the amount of deep sleep.In consequence, snoring leads to headaches, fatigue, sleepiness, loss ofmemory and to more serious diseases, such as cardiovascular andcerebrovascular diseases, and may therefore shorten one's life time.

Various treatment methods are conventionally employed to controlsnoring, such as surgical correction and medication. However, moresimple methods that are widely applicable remain to be developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One objective of the invention is to provide anti-snoring andanti-chocking apparatus and method of using the same that are capable ofpreventing, reducing, or curing snoring, snoring-related apnea, and/orchocking during snoring and help to improve sleeping efficiency

In certain embodiments of the invention, an anti-snoring andanti-chocking apparatus comprises a cap body (1); a cap strap (2); achin support belt (3); cap edge (4) of the cap body (1); a first beltbuckle (5); a cavity (6); a chin support plate (7); a second belt buckle(8); and flat straps (9).

In a class of this embodiment, the cap opening (10) and the cap strap(2) are disposed on the cap edge (4) of the cap body (1).

In a class of this embodiment, the cap strap (2) is symmetricallydisposed on the cap edge (4) of the cap body (1).

In a class of this embodiment, the first belt buckle (5) is connected tothe cap strap (2).

In a class of this embodiment, the main body of the chin support belt(3) is the chin support plate (7) with the cavity (6) in the center.

In a class of this embodiment, both ends of the chin support belt (3)are the flat straps (9) having the second belt buckle (8).

In a class of this embodiment, an elastic belt (11) is disposed betweenthe two sides of the cap opening (10) on the cap edge (4).

In a class of this embodiment, a pair of locking belts forinter-buckling are respectively disposed on both sides of the capopening (10) on the cap edge (4).

In a class of this embodiment, the locking belt disposed on both sidesof the cap opening (10) comprises a strip having Velcro tapes or beltbuckles disposed thereon.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a method for preventing,reducing, or curing snoring, snoring-related apnea, and/or chockingduring snoring comprises providing a means for supporting the lower chinof a patient a) to enable the patient to breathe through the nose, b) toprevent the patient's oral cavity from drying out, and c) to place thepharynx and the tongue of the patient in appropriate physiologicalpositions so as to reduce relaxation of the pharynx and swelling of thetongue during sleep.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a method for preventing,reducing, or curing snoring, snoring-related apnea, and/or chockingduring snoring comprises providing the apparatus as described herein toa patient in need thereof to be worn during sleep.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of an anti-snoring and anti-chockingapparatus according to one embodiment of the invention, in which 1indicates cap body; 2—cap strap; 3—chin support belt; 4—cap edge;5—first belt buckle; 6—cavity; 7—chin support plate; 8—second beltbuckle; 9—flat strap; 10—cap opening; and 11—elastic belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed description will be given below in conjunction with accompanydrawing and particular embodiments.

A method for eliminating and/or reducing snoring, snoring-relatedchocking, and transient apnea related to snoring comprises providingmeans for supporting the lower chin of a patient, such as a capdescribed herein, so as to 1) enable the patient to breathe through thenose during sleep, 2) cause his oral cavity not to dry out and contain ahigher amount of saliva, 3) place the patient's pharynx and tongue inappropriate physiological positions, and/or 4) reduce relaxation of thepatient's pharynx and swelling of the patient's tongue.

The anti-snoring and anti-chocking apparatus comprises a cap body, a capstrap and a chin support belt. The cap edge of the cap body matchingwith a head of a patient is in the shape of an adjustable retractingmouth, and a cap opening and the cap opening-belt are disposed thereon.The cap strap is symmetrically disposed on the cap edge of the cap body,and a first belt buckle is attached thereto. The main body of the chinsupport belt is a chin support plate with a cavity in the center. Bothends of the chin support belt are flat straps having a belt buckle. Theadjustable retracting mouth on the cap edge of the cap is composed of acap opening disposed on the cap edge of the cap body. An elastic beltdisposed between two sides of the cap opening or a pair of lockingbelts, and Velcro tapes or belt buckles disposed on the locking belt forinter-buckling, so as to match with the head of a patient. The cavity inthe center of the chin support plate on the chin support belt may beelongated, elliptical or rectangular.

During use of the anti-snoring and anti-chocking apparatus, the cavityin the middle of the chin support belt is aligned with the lower chin ofa patient, and both ends of the chin support belt pass through the firstbelt buckle of the cap strap and are inter-buckled or self-buckled, soas to support and fix the lower chin. This ensures that the patient doesnot breathe with his mouth open, his pharynx and tongue are inappropriate physiological positions, his oral cavity does not dry outduring breathing, pharynx relaxation is reduced, and a swelling of thetongue does not occur. This reduces and/or eliminates snoring andsnoring-related choking.

Adding a cap strap and the chin support belt to a cap implements asimple and reasonable structure, low cost, convenient production, andsignificant anti-choking effect. After prolonged use, the apparatus andmethod of the invention gradually corrects the habit of breathing thoughthe mouth, and restores breathing through the nose. There is nodiscomfort or side effects during use of the apparatus according to theinvention.

Safety and quality of sleep are ensured, which helps to improve andmaintain a high level of patient's health and mood. The apparatus andmethod of the invention are economical and have wide applicability. Theyare applicable to the treatment, cure, and prevention of snoring andsnoring-related problems.

EXAMPLE 1

As shown in FIG. 1, an anti-snoring and anti-chocking apparatuscomprises a cap body 1, a cap strap 2, and a chin support belt 3. Thecap edge 4 of the cap body 1 is adjustable, and the cap opening 10 andthe cap opening-belt 2 are disposed thereon. The cap strap 2 issymmetrically disposed on the cap edge 4 of the cap body, and a beltbuckle 5 is attached thereto. A chin support plate 7 with a cavity 6 inthe center is disposed on the chin support belt 3. Both ends of the chinsupport belt 3 are flat straps 9 having a belt buckle 8. The cap opening10 is disposed on the cap edge 4 of the cap body 1, and an elastic beltis disposed between the two sides of the cap opening 10. Moreover, apair of locking belts for inter-buckling are respectively disposed onboth sides of the cap opening 10, and Velcro tapes or belt buckles forinter-buckling are disposed on an end of the locking belt. The cavity 6in the center of the chin support plate 7 on the chin support belt 3 iselongated, elliptical or rectangular.

This invention is not to be limited to the specific embodimentsdisclosed herein and modifications for various applications and otherembodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appendedclaims. While this invention has been described in connection withparticular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should notbe so limited since other modifications will become apparent to theskilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, andfollowing claims.

1. An anti-snoring and anti-chocking apparatus comprising: a cap body(1); a cap strap (2); a chin support belt (3); a cap edge (4) of the capbody (1); a first belt buckle (5); a cavity (6); a chin support plate(7); a second belt buckle (8); and flat straps (9); wherein said capopening (10) and said cap strap (2) are disposed on said cap edge (4) ofsaid cap body (1); said cap strap (2) is symmetrically disposed on saidcap edge (4) of said cap body (1); said first belt buckle (5) isattached to said cap strap (2); said chin support plate (7) with saidcavity (6) is disposed on said chin s upport belt (3); and both ends ofsaid chin support belt (3) comprise said flat straps (9) with saidsecond belt buckle (8).
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein an elasticbelt (11) is disposed between the two sides of said cap opening (10) onsaid cap edge (4).
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a pair oflocking belts for inter-buckling are respectively disposed on both sidesof said cap opening (10) on said cap edge (4).
 5. The apparatus of claim2, wherein said locking belt disposed on both sides of said cap opening(10) comprises a strip having Velcro tapes or belt buckles disposedthereon.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said locking belt disposedon both sides of said cap opening (10) comprises a strip having Velcrotapes or belt buckles disposed thereon.
 7. A method for preventing,reducing, or curing snoring, snoring-related apnea, and/or chockingduring snoring comprising providing a means for supporting the lowerchin of a patient a) to enable the patient to breathe through the nose,b) to prevent the patient's oral cavity from drying out, and c) to placethe pharynx and the tongue of the patient in appropriate physiologicalpositions so as to reduce relaxation of the pharynx and swelling of thetongue.
 8. A method for preventing, reducing, or curing snoring,snoring-related apnea, and/or chocking during snoring comprisingproviding the apparatus of claim 1 to a patient in need thereof to beworn during sleep.